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GaWC is a British organization that ranks cities based on their importance in the global economy. The categories they use are:
Quote:
Alpha++ cities
In all analyses, London and New York stand out as clearly more integrated than all other cities and constitute their own high level of integration.
Alpha+ cities
Other highly integrated cities that complement London and New York , largely filling in advanced service needs for the Pacific Asia.
Alpha & alpha- cities
Very important world cities that link major economic regions and states into the world economy.
All beta level cities
These are important world cities that are instrumental in linking their region or state into the world economy.
All gamma level cities
These can be world cities linking smaller regions or states into the world economy, or important world cities whose major global capacity is not in advanced producer services.
Cities with sufficiency of services
These are cities that are not world cities as defined here but they have sufficient services so as not to be overtly dependent on world cities. Two specialised categories of city are common at this level of integration: smaller capital cities, and traditional centres of manufacturing regions.
I find it interesting how this list changes between 2000 and 2016, which is the latest report. By the looks of things, they will probably produce a update this year or perhaps in 2019.
The following lists show cities from our hemisphere from most economically important (alpha++ cities) down to weak regional centers (high sufficiency cities).
I also divide our hemisphere into 3 regions:
North America (Canada, United States, Mexico)
Middle America (Central America, Caribbean islands)
South America
The most economically powerful city of each region will have the region written in all capital letters in parenthesis to its right.
I also subdivide Middle America into two extra groups:
Central America
Caribbean (for the islands)
Cities that are the most economically powerful for each Middle America subregion will have the subregion in normal size letters to its right. If a single city is both, the leader in Middle America and of its subregion, then both will be in the parenthesis, the region in all capital letters and the subregion in normal size letters.
Lastly, I also divide the hemisphere into four linguistic regions and the leading city of each will have the region italized:
English America
Portuguese America
Spanish America
French America
If you click on the year on top of each list you can link directly to the source for each listing.
2000
1. New York, USA (NORTH AMERICA, English America)
2. Chicago, USA
3. Los Angeles, USA
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Sao Paulo, Brazil (SOUTH AMERICA, Portuguese America)
6. San Francisco, USA
7. Mexico City, Mexico (Spanish America)
8. Buenos Aires, Argentina
9. Miami, USA
10. Atlanta, USA
11. Washington DC, USA
12. Montreal, Canada (French America)
13. Bogota, Colombia
14. Santiago, Chile
15. Caracas, Venezuela
16. Boston, USA
17. Dallas, USA
18. Houston, USA
19. Seattle, USA
20. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
21. Montevideo, Uruguay
22. Denver, USA
23. Philadelphia, USA
24. Panama City, Panama (MIDDLE AMERICA, Central America)
25. Lima, Peru
26. St Louis, USA
27. Detroit, USA
28. San Diego, USa
29. Quito, Ecuador
30. Calgary, Canada
31. Nassau, Bahamas (Caribbean)
32. Birmingham, USA
33. Charlotte, USA
34. Cleveland, USA
35. Indianapolis, USA
36. Kansas City, USA
37. Guayaquil, Ecuador
38. Monterrey, Mexico
39. Guatemala City, Guatemala
40. Baltimore, USA
41. Asuncion, Paraguay
42. San Jose, Costa Rica
43. Phoenix, USA
44. Cincinnati, USA
45. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
46. Tampa, USA
47. San Salvador, El Salvador
48. Columbus, USA
49. San Jose, USA
50. Rochester, USA
2010
1. New York, USA (NORTH AMERICA, English America)
2. Chicago, USA
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Sao Paulo, Brazil (SOUTH AMERICA, Portuguese America)
5. Los Angeles, USA
6. Mexico City, Mexico (Spanish America)
7. Buenos Aires, Argentina
8. San Francisco, USA
9. Wanshington DC, USA
10. Miami, USA
11. Boston, USA
12. Dallas, USA
13. Atlanta, USA
14. Santiago, Chile
15. Philadelphia, USA
16. Montreal, Canada (French America)
17. Houston, USA
18. Bogota, Colombia
19. Vancouver, Canada
20. Seattle, USA
21. Caracas, Venezuela
22. Lima, Peru
23. Montevideo, Uruguay
24. Minneapolis, USA
25. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26. Detroit, USA
27. Denver, USA
28. Monterrey, Mexico
29. St Louis, USA
30. Panama City, Panama (MIDDLE AMERICA, Central America)
31. San Diego, USA
32. San Juan, Puerto Rico (Caribbean)
33. Calgary, Canada
34. Guatemala City, Guatemala
35. Cincinnati, USA
36. Charlotte, USA
37. Baltimore, USA
38. Portland, USA
39. San Jose, Costa Rica
40. Kansas City, USA
41. Phoenix, USA
42. Guadalajara, Mexico
43. Quito, Ecuador
44. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
45. San Salvador, El Salvador
46. Tampa, USA
47. Columbus, USA
48. Indianapolis, USA
49. Pittsburgh, USA
50. Edmonton, Canada
51. Porto, Brazil
52. Porto Alegre, Brazil
53. Orlando, USA
54. Ottawa, Canada
55. Tegucigalpa, Honduras
56. Richmond, USA
57. Austin, USA
58. Guayaquil, Ecuador
59. Milwaukee, USA
60. Curitiba, Brazil
61. Jacksonville, USA
62. Raleigh, USA
63. Brasilia, Brazil
64. Salt Lake City, USA
65. Las Vegas, USA
66. Belo Horizonte, Brazil
67. Queretaro, Mexico
68. Nassau, Bahamas
69. La Paz, Bolivia
70. Asuncion, Paraguay
71. Hartford, USA
72. Nashville, USA
73. Salvador, Brazil
2012
1. New York, USA (NORTH AMERICA, English America)
2. Chicago, USA
3. Sao Paulo, Brazil (SOUTH AMERICA, Portuguese America)
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Los Angeles, USA
6. Mexico City, Mexico (Spanish America)
7. Buenos Aires, Argentina
8. San Francisco, USA
9. Washington DC, USA
10. Miami, USA
11. Boston, USA
12. Atlanta, USA
13. Santiago, Chile
14. Dallas, USA
15. Montreal, Canada (French America)
16. Philadelphia, USA
17. Lima, Peru
18. Hoston, USA
19. Bogota, Colombia
20. Montevideo, Uruguay
21. Caracas, Venezuela
22. Vancouver, Canada
23. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
24. Guatemala City, Guatemala (MIDDLE AMERICA, Central America)
25. Panama City, Panama
26. San Jose, Costa Rica
27. Minneapolis, USA
28. Cleveland, USA
29. Seattle, USA
30. Detroit, USA
31. Calgary, Canada
32. Denver, USA
33. San Diego, USA
34. Quito, Ecuador
35. Monterrey, Mexico
36. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Caribbean)
37. St Louis, USA
38. Guayaquil, Ecuador
39. Baltimore, USA
40. San Salvador, El Salvador
41. Phoenix, USA
42. Charlotte, USa
43. Georgeton, Caiman Islands
44. Tampa, USa
45. San Juan, Puerto Rico
46. Guadalajara, Mexico
47. Raleigh, USA
48. San Jose, USA
49. Cincinnati, USA
50. Milwaukee, USA
51. Columbus, USA
52. Orlando, USA
53. Asuncion, Paraguay
54. Knasas City, USA
55. Portland, USA
56. Managua, Nicaragua
57. La Paz, Bolivia
58. Indianapolis, USA
59. Porto Alegre, Brazil
60. Richmond, USa
61. Pittsburgh, USA
62. Tijuana, Mexico
63. Austin, USA
64. Nassau, Bahamas
65. Tegucigalpa, Honduras
66. Curitiba, Brazil
67. Hartford, USA
68. Edmonton, Canada
69. Salt Lake City, USA
70. Ottawa, Canada
71. Queretero, Mexico
72. Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2016
1. New York, USA (NORTH AMERICA, English America)
2. Sao Paulo, Brazil (SOUTH AMERICA, Portuguese America)
3. Chicago, USA
4. Mexico City, Mexico (Spanish America)
5. Toronto, Canada
6. Los Angeles, USA
7. Washington DC, USA
8. Buenos Aires, Argentina
9. San Francisco, USA
10. Bogota, Colombia
11. Miami, USA
12. Santiago, Chile
13. Boston, USA
14. Atlanta, USA
15. Dallas, USA
16. Houston, USA
17. Lima, Peru
18. Caracas, Venezuela
19. Montevideo, Uruguay
20. Montreal, Canada (French America)
21. Philadelphia, USA
22. Vancouver, Canada
23. Minneapolis, USA
24. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (MIDDLE AMERICA, Caribbean)
25. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26. Panama City, Panama (Central America)
27. Denver, USA
28. Quito, Ecuador
29. Seattle, USA
30. Guatemala City, Guatemala
31. San Jose, Costa Rica
32. Calgary, Canada
33. San Juan, Puerto Rico
34. San Salvador, El Salvador
35. St Louis, USA
36. Monterrey, Mexico
37. San Diego, USA
38. Guayaquil, Ecuador
39. Cleveland, USA
40. Detroit, USa
41. Georgetown, Cayman Islands
42. Managua, Nicaragua
43. San Jose, USA
44. Phoenix, USA
45. Tegucigalpa, Honduras
46. Austin, USA
47. Guadalajara, Mexico
48. Cincinnati, USA
49. Asuncion, Paraguay
50. Kansas City, USa
51. Tampa, USA
52. Charlotte, USA
53. Baltimore, USA
54. Raleigh, USA
55. Medellin, Colombia
56. Orlando, USA
57. Edmonton, Canada
58. Columbus, USA
59. Pittsburgh, USA
60. Queretaro, Mexico
61. Porto Alegre, Brazil
62. Hartford, USA
63. Milwaukee, USA
64. Curitiba, Brazil
65. Cali, Colombia
66. Tijuana, Mexico
67. Puebla, Mexico
68. Portland, USA
69. La Paz, Bolivia
70. Sacramento, USA
71. Jacksonville, USA
72. Indianapolis, USA
73. San Antonio, USA
74. Salt Lake City, USA
The Leading Cities of Each Region/Sub-Region in 2016
New York, USA (NORTH AMERICA, English America)
Sao Paulo, Brazil (SOUTH AMERICA, Portuguese America)
Why did Bogota overtake Santiago and Lima all of a sudden in 2016? I don't get it. If anything Bogota has lost ground to Medellin.
And no way is a city like Guayaquil above Medellin, even Cali has a larger economy than Guayaquil, about 25-30% more both overall and per capita in PPP and in nominal terms. Outside the central areas and gated communities near San Marino mall Guayaquil looks very chaotic bordering on slum-like, Cali looks notably better especially in the north, west and south of the city, let alone Medellin which is a city on another level. I don't understand these ratings sometimes.
Last edited by Pueblofuerte; 04-29-2018 at 08:17 PM..
GaWC is cited far too much on this site and used by city boosters to boost their cities by misinterpreting data...case in point...on these lists George Town, Cayman Islands ranks above Baltimore, USA....George Town has the population of a large neighborhood in Baltimore...the list simply shows how the money of the official business economy moves...sometimes it ties into the actual size and importance of a city...sometimes it doesn't
A city can have a large GDP, but if that city isn’t capable of inserting itself into the global economic networks and create an influence, all that GDP doesn’t really translate to economic power.
The way I see it is like comparing David Rockefeller Jr and Bill Gates. Sure, both men are (was - in the case of David), but there’s no question that David was a much more powerful man than Bill Gates can ever be, despite that Bill is wealthier than David. David was economically powerful because of his ability to insert himself in the global network and effect a massive influence that Bill Gates will never have.
GaWC explains very clearly what they are measuring. I suggest a few people to take some time and read it.
So Guayaquil is more influential and has more economic power than Medellin? Ok pull the other one, Medellin last year surpassed Chicago & Zurich in international conferencing, has way more global flight connectivity, over twice the economy, it has an advanced public transport system, a basic component of any city and one Guayaquil lacks - I just don't see it.
So Guayaquil is more influential and has more economic power than Medellin? Ok pull the other one, Medellin last year surpassed Chicago & Zurich in international conferencing, has way more global flight connectivity, over twice the economy, it has an advanced public transport system, a basic component of any city and one Guayaquil lacks - I just don't see it.
The people who make the list clearly state what they are measuring...people on sites like these misinterpret it...I liken these lists to a most billionaires and millionaires type list...there is useful info there...and sometimes it correlates to a city GDP list...Santo Domingo is definitely the most economically powerful city in the Caribbean...but I don't think George Town, Cayman Islands (a city where the wealthy like to store their money) has more economic clout in the Caribbean than Port of Spain (the most economically powerful city in CARICOM)....George Town is basically a world apart...George Town is 2 spaces above San Jose, USA...I mean, come on
There are other examples there besides George Town of course but I focus there because it clearly illustrates what this list is really measuring
The people who make the list clearly state what they are measuring...people on sites like these misinterpret it...I liken these lists to a most billionaires and millionaires type list...there is useful info there...and sometimes it correlates to a city GDP list...Santo Domingo is definitely the most economically powerful city in the Caribbean...but I don't think George Town, Cayman Islands (a city where the wealthy like to store their money) has more economic clout in the Caribbean than Port of Spain (the most economically powerful city in CARICOM)....George Town is basically a world apart...George Town is 2 spaces above San Jose, USA...I mean, come on
There are other examples there besides George Town of course but I focus there because it clearly illustrates what this list is really measuring
but how can Santo domingo be more important than Panana City or Rio de janeiro. I need some explanation.
but how can Santo domingo be more important than Panana City or Rio de janeiro. I need some explanation.
Didn't even notice that...I have no idea
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